The Alien Summer
by Haiku Kitten
Summary: Elseworlds: Lyle Norg is a troubled teen dealing with the death of a close friend. Querl Dox is a green alien who just crash landed on Earth. Brainiac 5/Invisible Kid
1. The Search for the Meteor

**The Alien Summer**

**By: **Haiku

**Rating: **M

**Fandom: **Legion of Super-Heroes

**Characters: **Lyle Norg, Querl Dox

**Pairing: **Lyle Norg/Querl Dox

**Warnings: **Alternate Universe, Homosexuality, Sexual situations in future chapters.

**Summary: **Elseworlds: Lyle Norg is a troubled teen dealing with the death of a close friend. Querl Dox is a green alien who just crash landed on Earth. Lyle/Querl

**Author's Note: **I hesitate to say that this story is based on a specific version of LOSH. Lyle is certainly mostly based on Reboot LOSH's Invisible Kid. Querl is more of a combination of different versions. I have a vague idea of where I want to go with this story. Aside from that, I'm mostly winging it as I go. Regardless, I hope you enjoy.

This story is unfinished, and updates will be irregular. Hang with me, this ride's a slow one.

**The Alien Summer**

**Chapter 1: The Search for the Meteor**

_Don't you know that I'll be around to guide you_

_Through your weakest moments_

_To leave them behind you_

_Returning nightmares, only shadows_

_We'll cast some light and you'll be alright_

_**-Crosses, José Gonzalez **_

**Soundtrack for this chapter:**

"_Crosses", José Gonzalez_

"_Salva Nos", Mediaeval Baebes _

Lyle Norg's outlook on life was simple, but, as he liked to say, complex at the same time. He was the kind of young man who liked to go out on a sunny day and run around, maybe take a swim or go on a hike, because he appreciated nature. He liked good movies and playing soccer and going fishing with his grandfather, back when his grandfather was still alive. Most of the time, he was out of his house just _doing _something.

Not many people knew why, exactly, he avoided his house like he did. That was why Lyle liked to say that things were simple and complex. People usually saw the simple, happy side of them and didn't need to look any further than that. Lyle didn't especially want any of them to know about his screaming parents; his insecure, struggling mother and his loud, abrasive father. That was his business and his cross to bear. He'd found ways to be happy outside of his home and so, he thought, that made up for it.

Nonetheless, there were times when he took his bicycle and just rode for as long as he could, as far away as he could, and wherever he stopped, he would stand and just scream up at the sky. It was never any coherent words, just noise to express whatever pent up frustration he had inside him.

His teachers all told Lyle that he was smarter than the others. He made straight A's without really trying – something his mother was very proud of. She'd made a scrapbook with all of his report cards and school pictures that she left on the coffee table in the living room to show to people when they visited.

Lyle's teachers said he could do whatever he wanted to with his life. Lyle was thinking that he might want to be a biochemist. Unfortunately, it wasn't what his dad wanted for him. He never talked about his plans for the future in his house because either his father was present to complain about them or his mother would relay them to his father later and a "serious talk" would ensue. Lyle's dad wanted him to follow the family trade and be a cop. Of all things, Lyle couldn't imagine himself as a law enforcer. He'd picked too many locks in his life.

There were other things about Lyle that his father didn't approve of. Lyle had lost track of how many times his father had called him a lazy good-for-nothing because Lyle would rather do things on his own than associate with his parents. And then there was that big, bad secret of Lyle's that had come to light in his sophomore year of high school when his father had found the gay porn stashed under his bed. That hadn't been pretty and it had dashed any small hope Lyle might have had of his family supporting his sexuality.

His mother had meekly tried to tell Lyle that he just hadn't found the right girl yet – that he was jumping to conclusions and he was confused. Lyle did love his mother, despite her shortcomings, but he refused to lie to her face about it just to make her feel better. He knew what he knew. He knew that he was sexually attracted to men and he'd never felt a thing for a girl. She had tersely looked away and surrendered him to his father's ire.

And boy was his dad pissed. Lyle had come out of that confrontation with a fractured wrist and a black eye. "Biking accident," he'd cheerfully told the nurse at the hospital, having skillfully smeared dirt on his face and clothes to make the story seem legit. "Lost control and went down a hill. Honestly, I'm lucky I didn't get my neck broken."

He was _very _lucky that he hadn't gotten his neck broken.

Despite all this, Lyle was a cheerful boy who was prepared to explore life to its fullest. This he always attributed to his best friend, a young boy whose parents had moved to the United States from France, named Jacques Focart. Jacques was the one person Lyle always confided in and Jacques confided in Lyle in return. They were inseparable partners in crime, playing mischievous pranks and going on "adventures" in the summertime that sometimes took days to return from. Yes, Jacques was the best friend Lyle could have asked for. He made Lyle's life better.

That was, until the accident.

It was Lyle's fault. He'd known better than to drive so fast. Jacques was always telling him to pay a little more attention to the road but Lyle wasn't good at being responsible about things like that. He wanted to speed and he wanted to roll his window down and laugh as the wind blew through his hair. That night, they'd both been a little buzzed from beer they'd used forged IDs to buy. And Jacques had said maybe it would be better if they didn't drive but Lyle had laughed and said it would be fine.

So Lyle had gotten in the driver's side and he and Jacques had been laughing about something. And beyond that Lyle didn't remember anything about that night. He only remembered waking up in a hospital bed the next morning to his mother's face and the horrible news that Jacques hadn't made it.

After the accident, Lyle had withdrawn a little, losing a lot of his ambition. Even when he'd recovered from a half dozen broken bones and fractures, he'd stopped going out like he used to. He spent most of his time in his room instead; trying to distract himself from what he knew was depression by absorbing himself in experiments and schoolwork.

Summers were always the worst time of year for Lyle and the summer after Jacques' death was the worst of the worst. Stuck with nothing to do but lay around his house, it was in the first week of summer that Lyle came to a realization. What he really wanted out of life, more than anything, was to be invisible.

"You should go out and do something today," his mother told him one morning as she sat a plate of pancakes down in front of him. She smiled one of her tense, worried smiles at him. "Lyle… I worry about you. I know Jacques meant a lot to you but he's gone and… there's no way to bring him back."

Lyle didn't answer her. Instead, he stared at the news playing on the old black and white TV that his mother had in the kitchen. The reporter was saying something about an Italian chef but Lyle wasn't really listening. "These pancakes are good," he said after he'd taken a bite. His mother sighed, looking like she wanted to say more, but gave up. She always gave up. Sometimes Lyle wished she'd actually stick up for herself for a change.

"_In other news, NASA telescopes discovered a strange object in the sky last night." _

Lyle's ears perked a little at that. It sounded interesting. Had they discovered a new planet? Or maybe a foreign vessel had flown over unauthorized and they were all on the brink of World War III.

"_NASA scientists believe the object to have been a large meteor. Its exact coordinates could not be measured but it is believed to have landed somewhere in the Ohio region."_

Ohio was Lyle's state. That really got his attention. What if it had landed somewhere near his house? Of course, Ohio was a big place. The chance that the meteor had landed anywhere near where Lyle lived was tiny. There was really no point in even wondering about it.

Then again… he hadn't been on an adventure since the accident.

"I think I'll go find that meteor," he spoke out loud before taking another bite of his pancakes.

His mother turned to look at him with an arched eyebrow. "…What meteor?"

"Never mind," Lyle replied brightly. "After breakfast I'm going to go for a ride. I'll probably be gone all day."

She looked confused and slightly suspicious but finally she nodded and forced a smile. "As long as you're safe," she said. "You know how your dad feels about you driving these days."

Yeah, he knew very well how his dad felt about it. His dad had made that abundantly clear from day one. Maybe that was why Lyle was having such a hard time moving past it. It was hard to get over something when you had your dad yelling at you about how badly you'd screwed up.

But that day, Lyle remembered that his father rarely knew what was really best for him and that Jacques deserved more from Lyle than this moping around all the time in his house and ignoring the world outside. So, he decided as he packed his hiking gear, he was going to give Jacques a real memorial. A farewell adventure, one could call it.

Jacques had been a very special person. It wasn't that Lyle had ever been _in love _with him but he had _loved _him. There was a difference, he'd decided. He'd never wanted to have sex with Jacques or even kiss him. It was the kind of bond that siblings had. Jacques had been like an older brother who was always there to help Lyle out of any trouble (or to get into trouble alongside him). No one else in the world had ever made Lyle feel as safe as Jacques did. It was possible that there was no one else Lyle loved more than Jacques.

Now that he was gone, Lyle felt like the happier side of him was gone. The passenger's side seat felt empty as he drove down the road. Cars behind him, all speeding too fast, honked their horns at him and sped around him but Lyle had made a promise to himself that he was never going a mile over the speed limit again. Not without Jacques. He had to be his own voice of reason now.

He figured that, since no one had found it yet, the meteor had to have landed somewhere no one would notice. It must not have been a very big meteor, he thought, since it had made barely any disturbance at all. It was a crazy thought but there was a forest nearby owned by a friend of the Focart family. He'd always said that Jacques and Lyle were welcome to spend time there whenever they wanted, so long as they cleaned up their mess afterward. He wasn't sure if he was still welcome there but it was just once. After this, he'd swear off ever going back. He'd leave the Focart's and their associates alone. It was the least he owed them.

"Lyle! Lyle Norg!"

Lyle brought the car to a halt and rolled down the window. "Mr. Patterson," he said cheerfully as the man approached him. "Sorry to drop by unannounced like this. I was just wondering if I could spend some time out in the woods today. I mean, it's cool if you'd rather I didn't, I just want to go out and walk around for a while."

Mr. Patterson smiled at him reassuringly as he approached. "No worries, Lyle, you're still welcome out here whenever you want," he replied, leaning against the car. "I just haven't seen you in ages. You're doing alright, yeah?"

"Yeah, I am." Lyle smiled thinly. "I just haven't been out much lately. You know how it is."

"Well, chin up," Patterson replied. "If your old man's been giving you a hard time, you know where to find me." He gave Lyle a severe look. "And you know what I mean, young man, so don't act like you don't. I've known your father for years."

These kinds of conversations were the worst, in Lyle's opinion. He hated pity above all else. What did he need pity for? And he knew Patterson meant well but he couldn't stand it when people thought they understood his life and what it was like living with his parents.

But Lyle knew when to smile and take it. So he smiled and he nodded to the man. "I appreciate the offer, Mr. Patterson. If I ever need help, you're the first person I'll come to." Well, that wasn't totally a lie. If he was ever in a situation where he needed help, Patterson was one of his more trusted acquaintances. However, he knew well enough that his idea of needing help was more extreme than most peoples'.

Patterson quirked a smile and stood up straight. "You're a good kid. Just keep your nose clean and look out for yourself. You can come out to these woods anytime you want you." He reached in the window and patted Lyle's shoulder. "Have fun, kid."

"Thanks, Mr. Patterson." Lyle nodded and started his car again. "I really appreciate it."

He parked his car at the edge of the forest and got out from there, slinging his backpack on. It was one of the most beautiful forests that Lyle had ever seen; it was old and untouched by the civilization growing up around it. The Patterson's had protected it for generations. As far as Lyle was concerned, it was as close to magic as any place could get. He and Jacques had been traipsing through them since they were old enough to walk.

Just being in this place brought back so many memories. And even though he'd come here telling himself he was looking for a meteor, he knew why he'd really come here. He'd come to lay Jacques' memory to rest.

"Hi, mon ami," he spoke to the trees as he walked. "I know I haven't been here in a while. I guess I came here because I figured if there was anywhere that part of you is still alive in, it's this place." He took a deep breath and stared up at the sky through the trees. "You know, I didn't say anything at the funeral, even though they wanted me to. I guess I didn't want to get up in front of all those people in a wheelchair and admit that it was my fault."

He could already feel tears stinging at his eyes. He'd never been very good at handling grief or sadness of any kind. And this was the worst sadness he could ever feel, he knew. "I have some things I should have said, though," he continued, raising a hand to rub the tears away. "I need you to know I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. If I had listened to you, you'd still be here. And you deserve to still be here because your family loves you and so many people miss you. I… I should have been the one who died, you know?"

The ground moved beneath his feet as he talked and he didn't stop, just kept going further and further into the forest. "I miss you so much, brother," he whispered, hanging his head. "It feels like without you here, I'm nothing. You were like my better half. You always had my back. I knew we'd both get out of this place together. But now you're gone and I don't think I'll ever get out of here. I don't think I deserve to."

He knew that every acute pain inflicted on his heart as he spoke was his just deserts. It was his fault that Jacques was gone and he deserved to suffer for it, because he had robbed the world of such a beautiful person and he couldn't right that wrong, no matter what he did. Jacques was gone, just like his mother had said that morning, and he couldn't change that.

Finally, he stopped walking, sagging against a tree for support. Glancing around, he noticed that he'd managed to trek deep, deep into the woods. It wasn't completely unfamiliar territory. He and Jacques occasionally went this deep but usually they didn't go farther than Jacques thought was safe. If Jacques had been with Lyle today, he would have stopped Lyle before they ever got this far. But Lyle had, once again, failed to be responsible on his own. What was he ever going to do without Jacques to keep him out of this kind of trouble?

"God, Jacques," he whispered miserably. "I don't know what to do. Just… just send me a sign or something, would you?"

Disgusted with himself, he was about to turn back when something caught his eye on the ground. Was that… a skid mark? But there was no way a car could get this far out – the forest was far too thick. He stepped over to the mark and knelt down beside it, frowning. It was shallow, not deep. Looking up from the mark, he noticed a similar mark a few feet away. His eyes grew wide as he looked past that and saw yet another mark.

"No way," he breathed as he stood back up, walking towards the other marks. They continued for some distance, leading further into the forest, and Lyle followed them. If this wasn't a sign, he didn't know what was. "It's no meteor," he told himself, shaking his head. "Meteors would cause more damage than that."

The further he went, the more noticeable the damage to the plant life was. Several trees had been completely torn down and more had strange scorch marks across their bark. Lyle's excitement grew the further he went; he was convinced that he'd found that "meteor" the news had been talking about. But what it really was, he had no clue.

Finally, after what must have been close to an hour of following the trail, Lyle could see something up ahead in the distance; something large and black but exactly what, he couldn't make out. Licking his lips nervously, he reached down and grabbed a good, solid stick off the ground, suddenly having wild thoughts of evil aliens bursting out of the thing and attacking him.

"What if it's, like, a seed pod full of alien spawn?" he asked himself as he walked towards it. "What if they're here to take over the Earth? Or at least plan to eat everyone? I'd be the first victim and no one would ever know. You should turn back, Norg, this really isn't a good idea."

But he didn't turn back. He kept walking and as he got closer, he realized that he wasn't looking at a "seed pod" at all. It was a big, circular machine – a damaged machine at that, as it had obviously crashed into a lot of trees and all the damage had not been dealt solely to said vegetation. And it was huge – at least as big as Lyle's living room. Slowly, holding his stick at the ready, he started to walk around it to the other side.

He was met with a huge glass window – what he assumed was the machine's "wind shield." This was an aircraft of some sort, he realized. Perhaps some sort of new technology being developed in secret by another country that had gone off course? Amazed, he slowly raised his gaze to look up…

…And was met with a pair of upside down green eyes staring back at him.

He promptly shouted in surprise, dropping his stick and scrambling back from the craft. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed, staring at the face inside the window in shock. Then he frowned. It was an alien, alright, or he was totally crazy. It had green skin, for one, and it was hanging upside down in an unknown aircraft, for two. But as he really looked at it, Lyle realized that for being a green alien from outer space, it looked surprisingly like a teenage boy.

Said green boy seemed as shocked as Lyle and for a few moments neither of them moved, simply staring at each other in either horror or fascination, Lyle wasn't quite sure which. Then, the boy in the pod raised a hand and smacked at the glass, mouthing something that Lyle couldn't even slightly here. The expression on his face looked desperate, and after a moment Lyle realized that he was trying to ask for help.

Hesitantly, he approached the craft again, eyeing it warily. "You're stuck in there?" he questioned the boy. Then he smacked his forehead and rolled his eyes. "Right, you can't hear me if I can't hear you. This thing must be pretty much sealed off to everything."

In response, the green boy smacked the glass again.

"Okay, okay." Lyle held up his hands and tried to smile. "I'll get you out," he muttered to himself, "if I can figure out how to do that. Don't try to eat my brain or anything when I do." He pressed his hands against the craft, feeling for a door of some kind. His fingers quickly found a seam which, to his surprise, was already slightly ajar. He pulled at it but only succeeded in budging it a couple inches. He frowned at the craft for a moment before inspiration suddenly hit him. He grabbed up his stick again and jammed it in the small open space before pushing against it with all his might.

The door to the craft moved only a few more inches at first but then, suddenly, it gave way entirely and the door swung upwards with a loud whoosh noise. Lyle noted with no small amount of amusement that it was exactly the same kind of noise that spaceships always made in the movies.

The upside down passenger of the ship let out an immensely relieved sigh and shouted down something to Lyle in some sort of weird, garbled language. Lyle stared up at him for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "Honestly, dude, I have no idea what you just said," he called up to the boy. "You wouldn't happen to know English, would you?"

For a moment, the boy frowned thoughtfully. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak again. "Yes, I do know English," he called back. "Is this Earth, then?"

"You know English?" Lyle exclaimed, eyes wide. "Whoa, umm, yeah, this is Earth. Where are you from, Mars?"

"Mars is a dead planet," the boy replied flatly, frowning down at him. "Look, I'm grateful you fixed the jammed door and all but do you think you could help me out? I'm stuck up here."

Lyle decided that this was definitely not the way he had expected his first encounter with an alien to go, but that he didn't mind, and the alien obviously needed his help. With a sheepish grin, he nodded and climbed stepped into the craft, eyes looking around at the situation. "Wow, you are so lucky I happened to be out here," he remarked. "What would you have done if I hadn't found you? No one comes out in these woods."

"I would have eventually figured out how to escape." The boy pointed to a chair beside him, identical to the one he was buckled into. "If you can climb into that seat there, you can cut me loose, provided you have a knife with you. If you do, by the way, that probably would have been a more effective weapon against whatever soul sucking monster you were expecting to find."

Well, this was just Lyle's luck. He found a crashed spaceship, rescued its trapped alien passenger, only to discover that said alien was a snobby jerk. That was better than being eaten alive, he supposed, so he did his best to climb up to the seat. Luckily, he did have a pocketknife on him, and now that he thought about it, the alien had a point. A knife really was a much more useful weapon.

"Hang on tight," he warned as he started to cut through the belts holding the green boy in. "Shoot, these things are tough," he grumbled. The belts held up surprisingly well against the knife, which Lyle knew was sharp because he'd only recently sharpened it. Finally, they started to give way. "Alright, there we go." The last belt finally snapped.

The boy promptly plummeted to the ground with a surprised shout, hitting headfirst in the dirt. "Sprock!" he swore, clambering onto his feet. For a moment, he wavered and Lyle was afraid he was going to pass out, but then he seemed to regain his balance. Straightening and dusting off his purple uniform in a rather dignified manner, he looked up at Lyle. "… Your assistance has been appreciated, Earthling."

Lyle stared down at him for a long moment before promptly bursting out laughing.

"…Excuse me, but I fail to comprehend what, exactly, is so humorous." The alien's brow furrowed and he ran a hand through his blond curls in annoyance. "If you would be so kind as to explain why, precisely, you are laughing, it would be appreciated."

"I'm sorry," Lyle replied, laughing so hard he was in tears. "It's just that… I mean, I find an alien spaceship and there's an alien inside of it, dramatic, right? But you're not that dramatic at all. I mean, you're green, sure, and that outfit is weird but other than that, you just look like a teenager."

"Well, in your world, I _would_ be considered a teenager," the boyreplied, scowling. "I don't see why that is funny. Would you please come down here? You're going to fall if you are not attentive, and you can take my word for it that it's not a pleasant drop."

Lyle took a moment to consider his position, managing to get his laughter under control aside from a few suppressed chuckles. He carefully climbed back down, a grin on his face. "This is so ridiculous. I was fully prepared to have my brains eaten or something. I guess you could be an evil monster in disguise."

"I don't eat brains," the green boy said, turning his back on Lyle to examine his damaged spacecraft. "Sprock, this thing is ruined. There's no way it's going to get back through the atmosphere." He folded his arms across his chest moodily.

"Where were you going?" Lyle asked out of curiosity. "Are you trying to get back home?"

The boy's shoulders slumped. "… I was leaving home," he replied sullenly. "Beyond that, it's not important. What is important is that I crash landed here, which is a very dangerous place to crash land for a variety of reasons. Among the most important of these reasons is the fact that this planet is not sophisticated enough to have the technology I would require to fix my ship."

"You know a lot about Earth." Lyle scratched his head in confusion. "I don't think we have aliens crash land here very often, to tell you the truth." Unless you counted the Mothman and all the crazy UFO sightings people reported.

"You don't." The boy stepped back from his craft, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "Well, there's no help for it. I'll just have to stay here and try to fix it." He glanced over his shoulder at Lyle and narrowed his eyes. "Mind wiping you would be dangerous to your psyche. Then again, there's not much choice in the matter."

Lyle's eyes widened and he took a step back, holding up his hands defensively. "Hey, now, what's this about mind wiping? I'm not going to tell anyone about you! But you can't exactly stay out here and expect no one to notice you. Hell, _I _found you and I'm not the one who'll be flying a helicopter around, searching for you from a bird's eye view!"

His words made the alien blink at him in surprise. "… People know I crashed here?" he asked, seeming genuinely surprised.

"Well, duh." Lyle arched an eyebrow. "I mean, they actually think you're a meteor but of course you were detected. We're constantly monitoring the skies. Anyway, if you stay out here, someone is going to see you."

"If I leave my ship, I'll have no way to get home," the boy countered stubbornly. "In six months time, I could at least have it semi-operable. I think the best decision is for me to stay put and focus on repairing it."

Just as Lyle was about to inform the boy that he thought that was probably the dumbest idea he'd ever heard, his ears caught the far off sound of a helicopter propeller. He quickly looked around; the ship had cleared out quite a few trees, creating a large clearing in the forest. Any aircraft flying over would easily see and then the alien boy would be discovered - and then what? Would Earth help him? Or would they lock him up some place and perform experiments on him? Would scientists want to dissect the boy in the name of scientific discovery?

Reaching a decision, Lyle reached out and grabbed the green boy by the arm. "Quick!" he hissed, dragging the boy towards the thick trees still standing. "Someone's coming, you have to hide!"

"Excuse me?" The boy followed, clumsily tripping over branches as he tried to keep up. "Hide from what?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Lyle replied, pulling his new companion deeper into the trees. "Until you showed up, I wasn't even sure if I believed in aliens; let alone worried about how people here would treat them. Let's just say that with humans, you're better safe than sorry."

"But, my ship," the boy objected. "I can't leave it here! I have no other way to get off this planet!"

Lyle paused and turned to look at the boy. "Look, you. If you stay out here, they're going to find you. And I seriously doubt they're going to just let you stay out here and fix your ship for the next six months. I can try to help you stay hidden and maybe there'll be another way to leave, but this particular avenue is a no-go."

The words finally seemed to sink in. At last, the green boy gave a sigh of defeat and nodded. "Alright, Earthling, I will trust you, even though you seem to show bad judgment and possibly low intelligence, as well. Where are you planning on taking me?"

"Low intelligence?" Lyle spluttered, his cheeks heating up. "You know what…! No, never mind, just follow me." He was tempted to just leave the rude boy out here but Lyle wasn't the kind of person who could leave a stray kitten on the side of the road, to say nothing of strange green boys. "I think I know a place you can stay."

Already, Lyle was formulating a plan. When his grandfather had died, he'd left his house to Lyle in his will. Granted, Lyle wasn't old enough to really own it, but his parents hadn't sold it. It was on the edge of town. It didn't have any electricity or running water currently, because it had been uninhabited for some time now. However, it was still a good house and away from prying eyes.

What he planned to do with the alien once he'd gotten him to the house, he didn't know. But he knew one thing – he'd asked Jacques for a sign and he'd found this boy. That had to mean something. At least, Lyle hoped it meant something. Maybe he was just desperate.

The helicopter passed overhead and went on – Lyle doubted that whoever was flying it was paying much attention to details. After all, they were looking for a meteor and it wasn't like meteors hid in the underbrush.

"Keep going," he told the boy when the other paused and looked over his shoulder. Lyle gave him a light shove. "There's nothing you can do about your ship. We just have to get you somewhere safe. I know a house where you can stay and no one will notice."

The boy was no athlete, Lyle noticed as they ran. His actions were clumsy and uncoordinated, as though he wasn't used to running like this. Before long, the boy had broken out in a sweat, panting as he tried to keep up with the pace Lyle had set. "Can't… can't we go a little slower?" the boy gasped, wiping at his sweaty forehead.

Lyle slowed a little, watching the boy curiously. "You're really out of shape," he remarked in surprise. "You're skinny as a rail, though. I figured you at least exercised."

"My… body mass… is appropriate," the boy panted. "I have a… carefully calculated… training program…"

"You need a new trainer," Lyle remarked. He wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders to support him. "Here, lean on me. We're not far from my car."

As he touched the boy, Lyle felt body heat beneath the boy's uniform. He could feel the way the boy was gasping for breath, his body working overtime – just like a human. Maybe that was why he was so determined to help the boy. How could he turn his back on a fellow human?

"In the back," he hurriedly instructed as he popped the trunk of his car. He motioned for the boy to climb inside. "People in this town will notice if I'm driving around with a green kid in my car," he explained. "This isn't a very comfortable place to ride but the house is only about twenty minutes away from here."

The boy eyed the trunk with a skeptical expression. "… If that is best, I will comply," he agreed before hoisting himself into the trunk. He looked up at Lyle curiously. "How do you plan to get me back off of this planet?"

Lyle stared down at him and found himself mesmerized by blond curls framing a delicate face. The boy didn't just look human, Lyle realized. There was something extremely _attractive _about him. Lyle had been attracted to people before but he'd never been so thoroughly entranced before.

"I'm Lyle by the way," he blurted out, face blushing red. "Uh, I mean, in case you were curious. My name is Lyle Norg."

"Alright, Norg," the boy replied calmly, one eyebrow arched. "I am Querl Dox of the planet Colu. In case you were curious."

"That's a funny sounding name," Lyle remarked, although he wasn't sure why he was surprised. He was talking to an alien, after all, and Querl Dox was a very alien sounding name.

"So is Lyle Norg," Querl retorted. "Obviously, both of our names sound strange because you and I come from very different cultures. On Colu, my name does not sound at all abnormal, as I'm sure yours is equally normal here on Earth."

Every time this kid talked, Lyle kind of wanted to smack him. At least he was pretty. "I'm shutting the trunk now," he replied and pushed the lid down firmly before Querl had a chance to object. "Just hang tight!" he instructed.

He took a deep breath as he climbed into the driver's seat. This was absolutely crazy. Was he really going to hide an alien from the authorities in his grandfather's house? But the answer, of course, was that he absolutely was going to do just that.

"Bye, Jacques," he murmured to himself and then turned the key in the ignition.

**~ To Be Continued**


	2. An Unusual Houseguest

**The Alien Summer**

**By: **Haiku

**Rating: **T

**Fandom: **Legion of Super-Heroes

**Characters: **Lyle Norg, Querl Dox

**Pairing: **Lyle Norg/Querl Dox

**Warnings: **Alternate Universe, Homosexuality, Sexual situations in future chapters.

**Summary: **Elseworlds: Lyle Norg is a troubled teen dealing with the death of a close friend. Querl Dox is a green alien who just crash landed on Earth. Lyle/Querl

**Author's Note: **I hesitate to say that this story is based on a specific version of LOSH. Lyle is certainly mostly based on Reboot LOSH's Invisible Kid. Querl is more of a combination of different versions. I have a vague idea of where I want to go with this story. Aside from that, I'm mostly winging it as I go. Regardless, I hope you enjoy.

**The Alien Summer**

**Chapter Two: An Unusual Houseguest**

_The past, the present, and the future_

_Are all side by side, hand in hand._

_You move and change, yet you go nowhere,_

_Everything stays the same._

_You stare at me and ask me questions_

_Makes me nervous._

_This room, it keeps a constant tone,_

_While I'm on a roller coaster._

_**-Unlike Me, Kate Havnevik**_

**Soundtrack for this chapter:**

"_Unlike Me", Kate Havnevik_

"_Down To Earth", Jem_

"There aren't many people around this place, but be careful," Lyle instructed as he unlocked the backdoor of the house and ushered the alien inside. "Stay away from the front windows if there's a lot of traffic on the road outside. You can chill outside in the backyard if you want. No one would notice you out there. If anyone comes around, you hide. I'm the only person who should come here and anyone else would probably turn you in."

The house was dustier than he remembered it. His grandfather's home had always been a sort of oasis for him. Once it had been full of life, with dogs barking and music or the television playing in the background. He could still hear his grandfather's laughter in his head. But now the house was empty and coated in a thin layer of filth.

"Looks like I need to clean this place," he remarked. "I'll be around probably most of the time. I don't really have anything else to do this summer." He glanced back at Querl. The boy was regarding his surroundings with a slightly curled upper lip and a wrinkled nose. "Gee, don't look so happy about it."

"This is an unoccupied residence," Querl replied distastefully.

"Correction: It _was_ an unoccupied residence," Lyle said. He patted Querl's shoulder. "Relax, buddy, it's not that bad. It should be way better than getting found by the government and subjected to horrible experiments and being treated like some kind of rare animal. All in all, I think it's much preferable. Now, question time; what do you eat?"

"Souls," Querl replied without missing a beat. He strode past Lyle into the living room of the house and glanced around it before looking over at Lyle. He smirked at the look on Lyle's face. "That was a joke. My knowledge of Earth is limited but I think your food sources are largely agricultural, correct? Vegetation and the flesh of other creatures? In that case, my body should be capable of digesting the food here."

Lyle made a face. "Wow, when you word it like that it really sounds unpleasant," he muttered. "I'm never going to be able to look at a hamburger the same way again." He gestured for Querl to follow him up the stairs. "I'll bring you some food by this evening. Now, up here are the bedrooms and it really doesn't matter which one you end up sleeping in. There're three."

The other boy looked in one of the bedrooms. Lyle glanced over his shoulder to see that the room was very empty, except for the furniture, which was all covered in white sheets. Querl just stood there for a moment before slumping against the doorframe with a sigh.

"It's going to take a long time to get out of here," he muttered.

"You'll figure out how," Lyle replied, mostly just to comfort him. He noticed for the first time how incredibly tired Querl looked. The alien's hands were trembling just slightly and his face was wrinkled with stress and exhaustion. "Hey, how about you take a nap or something and I'll go get some food and stuff."

He offered Querl a smile and stepped into the room. "I'll get you some blankets and pillows for the bed," he promised, pulling the sheet away from the bed. "Just get some rest for now because you look like you could really use it." He patted the mattress. "I'll be back in a couple of hours."

Hesitantly, Querl shuffled over to the bed and lowered himself down on it. "… This will be acceptable," he murmured finally. "I will wait here for your return."

Lyle knew he'd been dismissed. "You're used to getting your way, aren't you?" he questioned. He began pulling the sheets away from the rest of the furniture in the room, revealing a writing desk, wardrobe, armchair, and side table.

"I never get my way." Querl was staring up at the ceiling blankly. "No one ever cared what I wanted."

Well, that was enough to make Lyle feel pretty crappy. He looked away from the other boy sheepishly. "Sorry, that was kind of rude," he admitted. "I guess you're running away for a reason. If it makes you feel any better, my family doesn't care what I want either. I guess I've just never had the nerve to actually do anything about it like you."

He was met with silence. A glance at Querl told him that the other boy didn't want to talk about that particular subject anymore. Lyle could respect that. He had his own skeletons in the closet that he'd rather were left there.

"I'll be back," he murmured. This statement was also met with silence and Querl didn't even look in his direction.

Lyle sighed and shook his head. "Alright, sit tight," he muttered under his breath as he stepped out of the room.

As he climbed into the driver's seat of his car, Lyle looked back to the house. He smiled a little. This house had a lot of good memories. His grandfather had been a good man – the kind of person you looked up to and wanted to be like when you grew up. Lyle liked to think his grandfather would have approved of this. He'd always told Lyle to respect life, above all else.

And Lyle owed this to the universe. He was the reason Jacques was dead. He had a debt to repay and if that meant helping Querl, that was what he was going to do. But he really needed a game plan. Querl's ship was still out in Patterson's Forest, if it hadn't been found already. How was he supposed to get Querl home? For that matter, did Querl even _want _to go home?

The guy was running from something; that much was obvious. And Lyle was intrigued. He wanted to know Querl's secrets.

For now, though, he needed to get Querl some essentials – such as blankets, food, and extra clothes. Querl couldn't go around wearing that same uniform constantly, and he was probably starving by now. First stop was his house, and then he'd swing by a drive-thru somewhere and pick up some food.

His dad's car was parked in the drive when Lyle got back to his house. Great, he thought, just what he needed. His mother had probably told his father all about how he'd gone off in search of a meteor. Maybe he could sneak in through his bedroom window and avoid confrontation.

Unfortunately, he could see his dad sitting on the porch as he got out of the car. The man was reclining in a patio chair, a beer in one hand. He didn't say hello as Lyle approached.

"Dad," Lyle acknowledged with a nod. He passed the man and continued to the front door.

"You're driving," his father spoke up. Lyle's hand froze on the door handle. "You know how I feel about you driving after that stunt you pulled."

This was how it had been since the accident. Even before that, the man hadn't been a model parent. Lyle was so tired of this constant conflict with his father. Home was supposed to be a kid's refuge, not something that needed to be escaped – but that was all he'd ever felt in this house.

"I'm going camping, actually," he replied, pulling open the door. "Just came back for some gear and extra clothes. Mom wants me to get out of the house."

Camping was as good of an excuse as any. His dad didn't really care what he did, even if he liked to berate Lyle about being responsible. If he was out of the house, that was fine. And Lyle wanted out of the house, even before he'd found an alien in Patterson's Forest.

He hurried up to his room and stuffed a duffel bag full of clothes. From his closet, he took two sleeping bags. He and Jacques had often gone on camping trips together. They hadn't been out of his closet since the accident. Now he had a use for them again.

His father was waiting at the bottom of the stairs when he came back down.

"Where do you think you're going?" the man snapped. He took a long drink from his beer. "You don't need two sleeping bags if you're just going camping."

"I'm going with a friend," Lyle grumbled, brushing past him. "You don't know him. I just thought I could get out and have a little fun."

"Bullshit," his father replied, grabbing him by the shoulder. "You're up to something, aren't you? Goddamn it, Lyle, if I find out you're mixed up in drugs or something, I will come down hard on you. After that fiasco with Jacques, I thought you'd learn your lesson."

It hurt every time someone brought up Jacques, but it especially hurt when Lyle was reminded that it was his fault Jacques was gone.

He shrugged his father's hand away. "I'm just going to hang with a friend," he insisted. His dad was so paranoid; so worried Lyle wouldn't be able to become a law enforcer if he had black marks on his permanent record. "I'll call Mom."

He should have expected it, but the blow still caught him by surprise. Stumbling backwards from his father, he raised a hand to gingerly touch where the man's fist had connected with his cheek.

"Jesus, Dad," he whispered, slowly looking over at the older man. "I'm telling you the truth."

A grunt was his only reply as his dad took another drink of beer. His mother peeked into the room timidly, probably because she'd heard the commotion. She fixed her gaze on Lyle worriedly, but she didn't approach him.

"Lyle, honey, when will you be back?" she asked him, nervously wringing her hands. "I'm sure your father is just worried about you."

Lyle shouldered the bags and shook his head. "Whatever," he muttered, heading for the door. "I'm out of here. Dad can keep his _concern _to himself."

In the car, he opened the mirror and carefully examined his cheek. It was definitely going to bruise – it was already swollen and puffy. He cursed angrily and started the car, pulling out of the drive and onto the road as quickly as possible.

When the girl at the drive-thru window asked him if he'd been in a bar fight, he smiled at her thinly and tried to laugh about it. "It wasn't a fair fight," he told her as she handed him his order. She smiled back and wished him better luck next time.

Next time… Lyle wished he could tell himself that there wouldn't be a next time. He wished he had the guts to stand up to that man and say he'd had enough. Maybe he could run away like Querl. It would be great if he could just take off in a spaceship, to a totally different planet, and start things all over on his own.

But he couldn't just fly away. This was where he was stuck – he just had to make the best of things and get over it. Eventually, he'd be old enough to have his own home where his father couldn't touch him, and that was at least better than things were right now. Even if he never got out of this town, he'd at least get out of his dad's house.

Pulling into the driveway of his grandfather's home felt almost as nerve-racking as approaching Querl's spaceship had felt. Again, he was venturing into the unknown, and he just had to trust that the unknown meant him no harm.

The unknown had pulled away the sheet covering the living room couch and was curled up on it, cradling something in his hands. He looked up at Lyle, and Lyle could see over his shoulder that it was a small device of some kind. He could also see some sort of cord, running from the device to connect with one of the white circles on Querl's forehead.

"That does not look natural," he said, flabbergasted, as he walked over and put the bag of fast food on the coffee table. He peered closely at Querl, trying to figure out what he was seeing. "Is that… a power receptacle?"

"In a sense," Querl replied calmly. "It allows me to transfer my thoughts directly into my Omnicom – this machine," he held it up for Lyle to see, "and also serves as a way to recharge the Omnicom. In a way, this device is powered by me."

Lyle could have spent hours turning that device over in his hands, discovering how it worked, examining all its proponents, but when his fingers reached out to touch it, Querl quickly pulled it back. There was a look of guarded suspicion on the alien's face, as though any wrong move Lyle made was being filed away for future reference.

"I just wanted to see," Lyle murmured gently, but he held his hands up and moved away. "That's alright. How about some food? You must be completely famished. I bought, like, eight hamburgers because I'm starved too and I had no idea how many you'd want. But it was McDonald's and that only set me back about ten bucks. That's America for you."

Querl unplugged the Omnicom and pocketed it. He reached a hand into the paper McDonald's bag and pulled out a hamburger, which he very carefully unwrapped. "America as in the United States of America, or as in the continent as a whole?"

"United States," Lyle replied, impressed. "How do you know so much about Earth?"

"My people have studied your planet fairly recently," Querl replied, shrugging his shoulders. He sniffed at the hamburger. "You would not have noticed their presence here. They are very discreet in their explorations, as they have found that most planets are adverse to alien interaction. This planet, Earth, was determined to likely be curious, but also extremely hostile towards unfamiliar intelligent life."

Lyle couldn't argue with that. People were suspicious of different ethnicities here on Earth, let alone people from a completely different planet.

"Eat your food," he urged. "It's not poisoned, I swear."

"Very well." Querl wrinkled his nose before taking a small bite from the sandwich. His eyes widened, as though he was surprised. Swallowing, he remarked, "That's a lot better than I was anticipating."

"Would I steer you wrong?" Lyle plopped down on the couch beside Querl and grabbed a hamburger for himself. To his amusement, Querl ate his hamburger with great care and dignity, despite how hungry he obviously was. "You have impeccable manners."

"Messy eating habits are a sign of barbarism," Querl replied.

That should have really annoyed Lyle, because as he tore into his own hamburger, he wasn't much concerned with manners. Hell, it was a hamburger; you weren't supposed to eat it _delicately_. But instead of getting his feathers ruffled, Lyle found he was a lot more focused on how incredibly cute Querl's _nose_ was.

"You got some mustard on your nose, good sir Barbarian," he said, reaching out to wipe the bit of yellow off of Querl's skin. The alien looked mortified by the knowledge and Lyle couldn't help a chuckle. "It's gone now."

Querl arched an eyebrow at him, but seemed to relax just a little. He took another bite of his hamburger and settled back against the couch with a sigh. Lyle followed suit, contentedly munching his own share of the food and enjoying the quiet.

Before, he and Jacques would have been having an animated conversation about anything and everything. They would have gotten a little rambunctious, thrown some pillows at each other, and they would have laughed uproariously, with no care for who heard them.

But Lyle could tell that Querl wasn't going to be that kind of friend – not for a while, anyway. They were going to be friends, though; of that much he was certain.

"Why is your face injured?" Querl asked after he'd finished his first hamburger. "You were not so afflicted earlier when you brought me here."

He reached out a hand to lightly touch Lyle's face, and it reminded of Lyle of E.T. for a minute. Lyle half-expected the alien's fingers to start glowing; like Querl could somehow magically make the bruising disappear just by touching it. But that wasn't the case. Querl just lightly prodded the bruises, as if he was assessing them.

"Someone hit you," Querl said at last, narrowing his eyes. "I hope I have not in some way caused you an inconvenience. I admit that I am mostly unfamiliar with Earth culture, but I hope this was not caused because you went out of your way for me."

It was a surprisingly considerate thing for Querl to say. So far, the alien had seemed rather rude and ungrateful, but Lyle could see now that Querl wasn't just some spoiled brat. Querl seemed to react to Lyle's injury in a very emotional manner.

"Nah, it's not you," Lyle assured him. He reached up and put his hand over Querl's, to offer Querl a little comfort. The other boy looked like he needed a little reassurance. "My old man did it. And he would have come up with another reason for it – he was drunk."

"Intoxicated, right?" Querl asked, looking slightly puzzled. "Some of your terms are difficult to follow. I believe 'drunk' means that he was under the influence of some kind of alcoholic beverage, however. Is that an accurate assumption?"

Lyle nodded with a lopsided grin. "Yeah, 's what it means," he agreed. "He's a crappy dad. Not that it matters. First chance I get, I'm out of this town."

"I understand the feeling." Querl drew his hand back and folded his arms around himself. "The question is; when you leave, where will you go?"

Lyle wanted to say that anywhere had to be better than this place. But then again, for Querl, this place was "anywhere." He'd run away too and he'd somehow ended up in this shithole. Maybe a person needed a good, solid plan before they tried just running away. Maybe you needed a place to run _to_.

"Subject change!" Lyle announced cheerfully. The matter was too depressing, too hopeless to think about right now. "Tell me, Querl, how old are you, exactly?"

The question took Querl a few moments to answer. "I believe I am the equivalent to 16 Earth years," he said finally with a nod. "Technically, I am still too young to pilot my own vessel. However, I doubt anyone will track me here. I made some adjustments to the ship."

"What would they do to you if they caught you?" Lyle asked, frowning. "Would they punish you?"

"Likely, the punishment wouldn't be severe." Querl shrugged his shoulders. "I am sure their primary concern is in retrieving me and returning me to my… home."

"Sometimes 'home' is more like a prison," Lyle murmured.

"You have no idea," the alien responded darkly, turning his gaze to the wall. The look on his face said clearly that this wasn't a topic he wanted to delve very deep into, so Lyle didn't try to question him further. For a while, the two of them sat in silence.

Lyle decided it might be worth asking his mother if the electricity in this house could be turned on, so he could at least watch TV or something. He was sure Querl had reasons for keeping his secrets, but it was difficult to continue any sort of conversation with him, he was so closed off.

"I'm going to be nosy and ask questions," Lyle said presently, "and you don't have to answer them if you don't want to. I just think it will help us get to know each other better. You can ask me questions too."

The look Querl gave him said clearly that the alien thought this to be a pointless endeavor but he reluctantly muttered, "Very well then. Ask what you will."

"Do you have any family back wherever you're from?" Lyle asked.

The alien's lips pressed into a thin line. "I have a mother," he admitted. "However, I do not know her current location, as she left my home world shortly after I was born and has not returned since. I believe I had a father, though I am not certain, as cloning is fairly common where I am from. I am aware that your planet has not quite perfected it yet."

"Wow, I didn't expect you to actually answer that one." Lyle smiled hesitantly. Querl was giving him more information than Lyle had thought he would. "So, you didn't know your mom or your dad, I guess. That's rough. My mom… well, I love her, you know? Even though she's not always there for me."

"Yes, I understand that sentiment," Querl replied, dipping his head forward once. "It is… family ties, they are important. I often feel that I could have learned many things from my mother if she had raised me. There is no one else who could understand…"

One of Querl's hands reached up to lightly touch the white circles on his forehead. When the alien realized what he was doing, he quickly snatched his hand back, as though he was embarrassed.

"Hey," Lyle began soothingly, reaching out to gently touch Querl's hand. "I know how you feel. Parents are supposed to help their kids learn how to make it through life. Mine are still around, but in a way, they're not there for me."

Querl looked back at him steadily for a moment before a small smile twisted the corners of his lips upwards. "You are an exceedingly strange human, Lyle Norg. My people had previously determined yours to be a violent, untrustworthy species."

"Well, I guess your people don't know everything," Lyle quipped.

"No," Querl agreed, "there are still a few things that Colu has not discovered about this galaxy."

Something about this boy felt so familiar to Lyle – like they were destined from the start to meet each other, and Querl's crash landing was no coincidence. Querl was just like him. The two of them were different from the rest, somehow.

He noticed that Querl was holding very still and he was still touching Querl's hand. "Are you okay?" Lyle asked, gripping Querl's hand lightly.

"Yes," Querl replied, but his eyes were wide. "I am… fine. I am just unaccustomed to being touched in such a manner."

Lyle tightened his grip just a little. "Is touch… less important where you come from? Does it make you uncomfortable?" He started to let go and draw back.

The alien suddenly gripped his hand back and held on tightly. "It does not make me uncomfortable," he replied, shaking his head. "I… I find it to be quite pleasant. If you don't mind, I would like to continue this for a little while."

Confused but willing to give the strange boy whatever he asked for, Lyle threaded their fingers together. He moved to sit beside Querl so that their shoulders barely touched.

"As long as you need," he replied solemnly.

It made him feel kind of helpless and small to know that even out among the stars, on whatever faraway world that Querl came from, people still hurt. In the few years he'd been alive, Lyle had been hurt far more than enough. All he wanted now was peace. Was that so much to ask?

A weight settled on his shoulder and Lyle glanced down in surprise to see that Querl's head was laid against his arm. The other boy's face was finally relaxed and his eyes had closed. Had he fallen asleep?

It was weird, but Lyle wasn't scared of Querl at all. Beyond Querl's green skin and strange clothes, there was just another person as lost and confused as Lyle was.

The evening had finally set in. Outside the window, the only sound was the singing of crickets. The house was completely silent but Lyle felt as though he could stay there in that moment, watching Querl's face in rapt fascination, forever.

TBC


End file.
